Revolutionary Def Jam Celebrates a Whopping 40 Years of Excellence

D Scott

Monday, February 19th, 2024 10:31am

If there is one record label that you think of when it comes to hip hop I'd have to say it's Def Jam and this year the legendary label celebrates it's 40th Anniversary!

It was founded back in 1984 by Rick Rubin and Russel Simmons and honestly the game hasn't been the same since. From their 1st single "It's Yours' from T La Rock and Jazzy Jay, to Krush Groove, to LL Cool J, to Slick Rick, The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Montell Jordan, Onyx, Method Man and Mary J, Roc-A-Fella Records, Murder Inc., Foxxy Brown, DMX, Ludacris, Meth and Red, Def Comedy Jam, I mean the list is endless!

So how are we celebrating this historic feet for Def Jam? If you go to their website (DefJam.com) you can check out an interactive timeline of all their major accomplishments or if you'd like to hit up their merch site they have plenty of new items for you to show off your loyalty and love for Def Jam.

To check out their timeline you can CLICK HERE

And for what it's all worth, LL Cool J will be celebrating 40 years in the game in 2025. His 1st album "Radio" dropped in 1985 and there's been no looking back since. Why do I mention this? Simple, LL Cool J is easily the 1st artist you think of when you think of Def Jam. I'm not sure Def Jam becomes what it became if they don't sign LL Cool J. 

Feature photo: Reuters

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